The present invention relates generally to electronics, and more particularly to mobile hand held communications devices.
When talking on a mobile handset it can be difficult to perform manual tasks since the user generally can not have both hands free without running the risk of dropping the mobile phone. A particular problem occurs when the user needs to hold another device. In one example, the user may wish to perform tasks that require additional lighting while talking on a mobile phone or using a personal digital assistant (PDA). Such additional lighting may be desirable when performing such tasks as writing directions or reading a map while driving at night, or trying to unlock a door in the dark. While performing these tasks the users will only have one hand free making it difficult to hold both a light and the mobile phone while performing the additional task.
It is common to use a flashlight to perform tasks when additional light is needed. Many flashlights of various sizes and shapes are available and well known, but none of these meet the requirement of being easy to use while talking on a mobile phone and trying to perform manual tasks. In addition, many mobile phone and PDA users may not want to carry a flashlight.
It is therefor an object of the present invention to provide a handheld communication device or PDA that enables a user to conveniently provide illumination. The present invention provides a handheld device with a lamp positioned to illuminate an area external the handheld device. In one embodiment the lamp is a light emitting diode (LED) constructed to output sufficient light to illuminate an area external to the case and a switch to control the LED. In a preferred embodiment the LED may be a super-bright or ultra-bright LED. The lamp may be added to any mobile handheld communication device, or PDA, including pagers and telephone handsets.
Advantageously, the lamp enables a user to conveniently provide illumination using the handheld device such as a mobile handset or PDA. Accordingly the user may more safely and confidently perform manual tasks while using the handheld device without the risk of holding a flashlight as another light source.